“There is significant international interests in Hungarian agricultural research results, and not just in neighbouring countries, but for instance there is also demand in Central Asia, for instance, for the new Hungarian wheat varieties that Hungarian researchers have developed to adapt to new climate conditions”, Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas said at a press conference in Budapest.
Mr. Fazekas spoke about the general status of Hungarian agricultural research at the launch of a new book on recent achievements in agricultural research. “The National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre (NARIC) was established in 2014 to help scientific research assist the agriculture sector and to enable the application of the results to facilitate the competitiveness of agriculture”, he highlighted. “Supplying the people of Hungary with safe foods, GMO-free and healthy food production, and the future of Hungarian agriculture are in the most part based on Hungarian agricultural research”, the Minister said.
“As far as possible, this organisation that is significant even in international comparison with its 12 research institutes and 4 business entities, is fulfilling this expectation to an increasing extent and is contributing to the dynamic development of Hungarian agriculture”, he declared. Mr. Fazekas explained that it is no accident that interest in Hungarian wheat and maize varieties is highest in regions with similar natural conditions to those of Hungary, in view of the fact that climate change is raising similar issues there as it is here in Hungary. “This is one of the reasons why Hungary is one of the world leaders in breeding extremely early maturing maize varieties. Rapidly maturing maize varieties adapt to Hungary’s new climate conditions and accordingly are in high demand in countries with similar climates”, he continued.
“There is also high foreign demand for the result of Hungarian research into freshwater aquacultures, because the research in this field and the results of that research are all world class. Accordingly, Far Eastern and Southeast Asian countries are just as interested in Hungarian fisheries research as is Brazil, for instance”, Mr. Fazekas told the press. The Minister also highlighted the foreign interest in Hungarian sour cherry varieties. “The research conducted by the NARIC covers the variety and diversity represented by the Hungarian agricultural economy”, the Minister underlined.
“The results of Hungarian agriculture research may also be of importance to developing countries because it could help keep the population in place through providing jobs and improving living conditions, and therefore also serves to slow down the rate if migration”, he added. “We are also planning to significantly increase cooperation on agricultural research with the countries of the Visegrád Group (V4)”, the Minster told reporters.
Director-General of the National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre Csaba Gyuricza spoke about the fact that the NARIC currently has an annual budget of some 5 billion forints (EUR 13.3M), of which 3 billion forints is government funding, with the remaining 2 million derived from its own revenues. From among the research topics the Centre is involved in, the Director-General highlighted the forestry, horticultural, crop production and animal husbandry research being conducted with relation to climate change, the applies, adaptive research relating to precision farming, and research related to agroforestry systems, all of which could facilitate the use of areas with unfavourable soil conditions or which there are some 600-700 hundred thousand hectares in Hungary.
(Ministry of Agriculture Press Office)
